Braves reach 2-year deal with Heyward

Atlanta, GA (SportsNetwork.com) - The Atlanta Braves on Tuesday avoided
arbitration with Jason Heyward, agreeing to terms with the outfielder on a
two-year contract.

Heyward is coming off a 2013 season that was interrupted by two separate stints on the disabled list. He underwent an appendectomy in late April and suffered a fractured jaw when he was hit by a pitch thrown by the New York Mets' Jonathon Niese on Aug. 21.

The 24-year-old returned in time to help the Braves clinch the NL East title
and finished with a .254 batting average, 14 home runs and 38 RBI over 104
games.

"Jason is an important part of our organization and we're glad that we were
able to agree on multi-year contract," Braves executive vice president and
general manager Frank Wren said in a statement.

Heyward, a former Gold Glove winner, has hit .259 with 73 homers and 234 RBI
in 532 career games since debuting with the Braves in 2010.

Atlanta selected Heyward in the first round (14th overall) of the 2007 draft.